1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to pull tabs for reversible closure mechanisms. More particularly, it relates to pull tabs for sliders and similar devices used for reversibly closing mechanisms such as zippers and the like which are used on portable enclosures such as handbags, luggage and similar articles.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many portable containers such as handbags, hand-carried luggage, soft-sided bags, wheeled luggage and the like contain compartments that are reversibly opened and closed by zippers. Most such containers include multiple compartments, each employing at least one zipper closure. Many of the zippers employ two slider closures so that the compartment may be opened from either end of the zipper.
Zippers conventionally comprise parallel interlocking members that are reversibly joined or separated by a slider which moves along the length of the parallel members. The slider usually includes a bracket, loop or the like extending from the outer face thereof to which a pull tab is attached. The pull tab usually comprises a loop or a substantially flattened body with a loop extending from one end thereof which is secured in the bracket on the slider. The pull tab is thus loosely but securely hingedly attached to the slider by the loop extending through the bracket on the slider and may be used to move the slider.
While the interlocking parallel members may be formed of various materials, zippers designed for heavy duty use such as in travel bags and the like usually employ a metal slider because of the stresses and wear forces encountered in repetitive use. The pull tab loop secured to the slider bracket is also exposed to repetitive stresses and is also usually made of lightweight metal such as aluminum or aluminum alloys.
For cosmetic purposes, the slider and pull tab are usually painted or cosmetically treated so that the zipper closure mechanism matches or complements the colors of the bag. However, the point of contact between the slider bracket and the hingedly attached pull tab is exposed to extremely high stresses and wear when the zipper is opened and closed. As a result, the cosmetic coating on the contacting surfaces is readily distressed, removed or otherwise disfigured, exposing bright metal wear surfaces. The bag on which the zipper is employed thus quickly assumes the undesirable look of a worn bag.
Many portable zippered containers such as travel bags and the like employ a number of zippers, each of which employs a pull tab with one end hingedly attached to the slider bracket. As a result, the pull tabs swing freely and make repetitive contact with the slider, the zipper members, the bag or each other, causing a noticeable jingling or clicking noise when the bag is moved. Thus a person carrying a travel bag with conventional zipper pull tabs generates a noticeable and often distracting and/or aggravating jingling noise with every step taken.